Inside the Coaching Carousel: Hires, Firings, and Rumors

Looking Ahead

As the dust settles on the busiest wave of coaching changes, some programs remain in limbo while others are already planting the seeds of future success. This next phase of the coaching carousel may be quieter, but it’s still critical—and in some cases, decisive.

Programs Yet to Make a Move

While many programs acted swiftly post-season, a handful still haven’t made formal hires. These schools are either being particularly cautious or are struggling to land their top targets.
Power Five Holdouts: At least two major-conference teams remain without a confirmed head coach.
Group of Five Openings: Several mid-tier programs are reportedly weighing internal promotions versus external hires.
Possible Delay Factors: Contract negotiations, background checks, and ongoing postseason games have created delays for some decisions.

Predicting Long-Term Outcomes

A new hire isn’t a guaranteed win. Early reactions can mislead, and patience—often in short supply—can define a coach’s runway for success. Here’s what could shape the long view:
Culture Fit Over Star Power: Programs that prioritize alignment with institutional values and local talent pipelines are setting the stage for sustainable wins.
Recruiting Momentum: Coaches who hit the ground running on the recruiting trail could redefine class rankings within a year.
Staff Stability: Teams that balance new energy with seasoned assistant coaches may see faster on-field adaptation.

What to Watch Through Spring & Summer

With spring practice just around the corner, now is the time to observe key signals:
Spring Game Adjustments: Early scheme changes and player utilization will offer a first glimpse into how new staffs think.
Transfer Portal Moves: Expect a fresh wave of movement after spring ball—players will react quickly to new philosophies.
Betting Market Shifts: Smart betting angles will emerge as patterns develop through offseason workouts and early media reports.
Locker Room Buy-In: Player interviews and social media activity often reveal how well—or poorly—new coaches are fitting in.

The offseason may look quiet on the surface, but for programs retooling behind the scenes, the coming months could shape the next few seasons.

Quick Pulse on the Chaos

Coaching turnover used to be a back-page footnote—just part of the offseason churn. Not anymore. In today’s game, who’s holding the clipboard can swing a season, a recruiting class, or even a program’s next five years. Coaches bring systems, culture, and control. When one exits, entire staffs get reshuffled, players dip into the transfer portal, and the dominoes fall fast. For fans, it might feel like gossip. For programs, it’s high-stakes triage.

This cycle is already packed with movement. Out: veteran staples like Carl Lanning (fired from Coastal State after back-to-back losing seasons) and Mike Rourke (mutually parted ways with the Bulldogs after behind-the-scenes tension). In: a new crop of aggressive hires, including upstart coordinators and once-exiled head coaches looking for redemption. Florida Central swiped rising star Isiah Cruz from a Power Five staff. Meanwhile, Liberty Ridge tapped alum Trent Marsh to steady the ship.

It’s only January, and the carousel is still spinning. As athletic departments race for alignment with their long-term vision, everyone—from fans to bettors to high school recruits—should be paying close attention.

New Hires Making Noise

This year’s coaching carousel isn’t just about replacements—it’s about resets. Big names have landed at high-visibility programs, and a few hires already look like high-stakes bets.

Mike Donahue, the former defensive wizard at West Prairie, is now the head coach at Coastal Metro. His plan? Strip the playbook down, dominate possession, and build a defensive identity that breaks opponents mentally before halftime. Over at Great Lakes State, Alicia Tran has taken over after a wild exit from Bridgewater. Her fast-tempo offense lit up Division II, and insiders say she’s not tweaking the system—she’s tripling down.

These aren’t safe hires. They’re strategic overhauls. Programs are signaling that they’re tired of middle-of-the-pack bowl appearances. They want culture shifts, not just cleaner win-loss records.

Early feedback from players has been cautiously optimistic. Some are fired up about the energy; others are still adjusting to new play styles and stricter discipline. Fans, as always, are loudly split across forums and tailgate circles. Everyone’s watching the spring game tape.

We’ve got the full breakdown of every confirmed move, big and small, in our coaching changes revealed report.

Betting Angles: What You Need to Know

Coaching Chaos Meets the Betting Markets

Coaching changes don’t just shake up rosters—they shift betting markets almost instantly. Sportsbooks watch the coaching carousel closely, knowing that a fresh hire can alter everything from preseason win totals to early point spreads.

Immediate Market Reactions

Once a coaching change is announced, oddsmakers adjust accordingly:
Win Totals: Programs with high-profile hires may see a bump in projected wins.
Opening Lines: Week 1 spreads often move based on coaching perception, even before rosters are finalized.
Future Odds: Odds to win conferences or make the College Football Playoff can shift within hours of a coaching move.

These initial market reactions are largely based on a coach’s reputation, past performance, and perceived fit with the new program.

Where Smart Money Flows

Savvy bettors look for overcorrections in the market—where hype outweighs substance:
Fade the Favorites: New coaches with media buzz often lead to inflated lines.
Follow the Fundamentals: Programs keeping staff continuity or hiring quietly effective assistants can fly under the radar.
Monitor Spring and Transfer Portal Moves: Smart money adjusts not just for the coach, but for how well they manage personnel and scheme in the early months.

Want to Go Deeper?

For an in-depth look at how coaching changes influence betting strategies, check out our full report: How Coaching Changes Influence Betting Lines in College Football

Notable Firings: What Went Wrong

Some programs didn’t wait for the season to finish before deciding it was time for a change. The leash has never been shorter. A few schools hit the eject button mid-season, others didn’t let coaches off the field before calling a press conference. Speed, urgency, and politics played bigger roles this cycle than usual.

In more than one case, it wasn’t just about losing games. Performance on the field mattered—but discipline issues, sideline chaos, or fractured locker rooms sped up timelines. Some programs saw attendance and ticket sales dip fast, and that alone made decisions for them. Others cited a loss of “culture integrity”—code for off-field behavior not aligning with brand values.

But the loudest pressure came from the inside. Boosters got restless. Athletic Directors felt it. In certain markets, fan bases were so vocal online that administration all but had to act. A few of these firings had been brewing for months—this was just the tipping point.

Coaches know the gig. It’s not just about X’s and O’s anymore. It’s about optics, control, and whether people are still buying what you’re selling. And when they stop, exits come fast.

The Rumor Mill: Smoke or Fire?

This is the part of the carousel where whispers echo louder than facts. Big names like Lane Kiffin and Jimbo Fisher keep surfacing in speculative “what-if” scenarios—some fueled by vague tweets, some by sideline body language. A few programs are clearly testing the waters without officially making a move, just in case the stars align or contract terms quietly shift.

More interesting, though, is the bubbling movement among assistant coaches. Rising coordinators like Garrett Riley and Brian Hartline are drawing serious interest, with at least two programs reportedly in talks behind closed doors. On the flip side, some assistants with bigger resumes are failing to adapt to evolving schemes—and insiders suggest they may be nudged out before summer conditioning starts.

The seasonal rhythm of these rumors isn’t new. Just like the past few offseasons, the biggest patterns involve buzz around programs with underperforming QBs, aggressive boosters, or new athletic directors itching to make a splash. Expect noise to peak around spring ball and right after the NFL Draft, when dominoes might finally start to fall. Until then, read between the lines, not just the headlines.